May Wrap-Up and June Forecast

I lost momentum and motivation to blog after I participated in RESOLVE's Blogger Challenge as part of National Infertility Awareness Week last month. It was a combination of nicer weather so I'm outside more, and the fact that I needed a break from blogging because I started to suffer from burnout. Infertility is such a tough subject already, and then blogging about it took a lot of emotionally energy. Although sharing my story was a relief and big weight off my shoulders, it was still emotionally draining writing all of those posts and worrying about having my story out there in the public Internet world.

That said, I wanted to share a recap of what has happened this month.

Posts for Books Read in May

1. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance (audiobook, memoir) - 5 out of 5 rating
2. Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult (audiobook, fiction) - 4 out of 5 rating
3. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien - review to come!

Posts for Books Read Before May

1. Soup of the Day: 150 Delicious and Comforting Recipes from Our Favorite Restaurants by Ellen Brown (cookbook)  - no rating
2. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (historical fiction) - 5 out of 5 rating
3. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain (audiobook, fiction) - 5 out of 5 rating

Reading Challenge

I decided to commit to a new challenge for the year by joining the Audiobook Challenge 2017, which has different levels and lasts all year long. In May, I finished 2 audiobooks for a total of 5 so far in 2017, which means I completed the Newbie level. I am looking forward to listening to more audiobooks this year, in June especially with lots of road trips to get some listening in!

Top Five

1. Favorite Book: Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult - not only is she one of my favorite authors, I really noticed and enjoyed how well developed the characters were on their own and in their relationships with each other.
2. Least Favorite Book: None this month. I didn't read nearly as much as I had hoped so I have less of a pool to draw from. 
3. Most Exciting Moment: getting a new phone so that I can do more with it, including downloading more audio-books to listen to and get closer to meeting the Audiobook Challenge.
4. Least Exciting Moment: When I realized that I was losing my momentum and self-encouragement for blogging. I hit a slump and didn't know how to get out of it until earlier this week and noticed what other bloggers were posting at the end of the month and got the idea for this post. I've been able to learn something from this experience and still create something!
5. Favorite Part of May: Seeing a few old friends I haven't seen much of in the last few years. Getting together and catching up with old friends is usually a good time for me and encouraging. 

June Forecast

I'm going to be driving or a passenger for about 42 hours this month so I hope to get a lot of reading and/or listening done! Since I'll be on vacation for a bit in June, I plan to get a lot of my posts written and posted or scheduled ahead of time. 

1. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck - currently reading
2. Rokitasnky by Alice Darwin - currently reading
3. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon - currently reading
4. Home Front by Kristin Hannah - currently reading
5. Check-in about the Audiobook Challenge 2017
6. Top 10 Favorite Jodi Picoult Books
7. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien - published June 6
8. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
9. The Underground Girls of Kabul by Jenny Nordberg
10. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
11. The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel by Diana Gabaldon
12. The Diviners by Libba Bray
13. Bag Balm & Duct Tape: Tales of a Vermont Doctor by Beach Conger, MD
14. The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant

Which June post should I do first?